'The Event' scoop: Blair Underwood talks about new characters, end to those 'confusing' flashbacks

Image Credit: Joseph Viles/NBC; Craig Sjodin/ABC/Getty ImagesDon’t worry, fans of NBC’s The Event: The cast and crew have been working hard to make sure you’ll be able to follow the drama once it returns to NBC on Feb. 28. In fact, series star Blair Underwood (President Elias Martinez) told EW exclusively that the show is revamping the way it tells the heavily-serialized story about a strange group of detainees who may (or may not be) from this world. “We had been jumping around a lot and doing flashbacks and that was confusing to people,” he told EW. “So when we come back, that device is done with! We are now telling the story straight through so people can track it and follow it easier.” Great news!

Here’s some more: Roger Bart (Desperate Housewives) is joining the cast as the White House Chief of Staff, along with Virginia Madsen, who’ll play the widow of a U.S. senator from Alaska who assumes her husband’s post. “We have some great stuff planned and have revamped a few things,” Underwood said. “I do know the general plan of where it is headed by season finale time. The first 10 episodes was all about setting the stage and now we can tell the story. People have the background they need. We know the others are coming and they are going to have some effect on the ones who have been living among us. You know, the other others, without a tail, that aren’t reptilian.”

Underwood is talking, of course, about the unwanted visitors who appear on ABC’s V. “I guess that reptilian thing is working for them but I like that our aliens look like us and are maybe like us, mostly,” Underwood says, smiling. Like the low-rated V, however, The Event had a tough time maintaining a decent audience in the fall. (It averaged 8.9 million after 10 telecasts while V is hovering around 6 million). “I am proud of our show and I think it is a good show but I know we are living in a time where people multi-task while watching and our show takes commitment and that will be our struggle,” Underwood said. “We want to make it easier for people to watch without losing quality.” - With additional reporting from Carrie Bell